Gaels clinch Series Berth

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- When the American Legion World Series opens Friday at Cashman Field, a local entry will be among the eight elite teams participating.

Bishop Gorman will represent the host city after successfully completing its improbable run through the Region 8 tournament with a 6-5 win over Taylorsville (Utah) Monday.

The Gaels (48-13) avenged two previous losses to Taylorsville, rallying from a 5-4 deficit with a pair of runs in the eighth inning.

"It was the biggest moment in Gorman baseball history, no doubt about it," coach Tim Chambers said. "When it was over, the emotional level was unbelievable."

Gorman's Brandon Boesch, who spent much of the summer nursing a back injury, was the Gales' hero, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs. His eighth-inning single scored teammates Ryan Lee and Cooper Fouts with the tying and go-ahead runs.

Right-hander Nate Fouts worked the final 3 1/3 innings, striking out four and getting Taylorsville's Bryan Ball to fly out with a man on first to end the game.

"It was just a great baseball game," Chambers said. "The only people who thought we could do this were us."

Early on, it looked like the Gaels might roll to victory. Chambers' club scored a pair of runs in the second inning and two more in the fourth to post a 4-0 lead.

But Taylorsville, which struck out nine times against Gorman starter Paul Wurts, began to solve the right-hander in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the deficit in half on Brandon Lyon's two-run homer.

The Utah squad got another run in the fifth and chased Wurts in the sixth when Andrew Moser's RBI single knotted the contest at four.

"They had all the momentum at that point," Chambers said. "We were real nervous."

Taylorsville took its first and only lead in the seventh, when Nick Ballard led off with a solo homer.

The Gaels were quick to respond, though, loading the bases to set up Boesch's dramatic hit.

Like Boesch, Nino Mantico (2-for-4) knocked in three runs for the victors, while Lee and Fouts combined to score five Gorman runs.

The Gaels join the 1984 and '86 Valley squads and the 1992 Green Valley team as the only Southern Nevada Legion World Series qualifiers.

Gorman will open against the Northwest Region champions from Danville, Calif., (56-10) on Friday at approximately 7:30 p.m.

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